Full Circle
by Mika Uriah
Summary: A conversation with a young student makes Ororo realize we haven't come as far as she would like to think we have.


Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Ororo Munroe and Jean Grey were sitting on the couch in the recreation room, sharing a bowl of popcorn and the last can of coke.

They were watching an old musical from the 1950s with Gene Kelly called 'Brigadoon' neither one of them thought that it was Gene's best, but it reminded them of better times on the X-men; when things were less dangerous for themselves and the students, when they weren't loosing friends left and right.

When the worst things that they had to deal with was if Ororo could stop a monsoon over Asia or a Hurricane coming over the Caribbean.

If something was too heavy for Jean to lift telepathically, or if a medical emergency was too much of an emergency for her to deal with in the field.

Movies on cable on Saturdays like this, reminded them of lazy afternoons with the professor trying to teach them how to play chess and Jean adamant on not using her powers to beat him.

Ororo getting used to learning how to cook on a stove instead of an open fire; although they were quite surprised when she showed them that you can make brownies over a camp fire.

Ororo hummed a long to her favorite song on the movie, when she heard padded footsteps behind her, she looked behind her and found a student, a redheaded freckled little girl who looked a lot like Jean when she was a child, even had the same bright green eyes, tears were in her eyes and the six year old was biting on her index finger to keep herself from sobbing out right.

Ororo opened her arms and the student crawled up onto her lap and her face immediately found the crook of her teacher's neck.

Jean shut off the Television, and the only sound that filled the room was the sound of a little girl's sobs, Ororo cuddled the girl and stroked her red hair until she was ready to speak shrugging to Jean who was mentally asking Ororo what the hell happened.

"Annaleigh? Do you want to explain what happened that got you so upset sweetie?"

She put her head up to look into Ororo's blue eyes and played with the X-men's platinum white hair. Many of the younger students had taken shine to her white tresses when they were upset and she often found random little fingers in it often like a security blanket "Please Annaleigh?" Ororo spoke quietly.

"The kids were watching a movie." She sniffed "and it made me sad."

Jean smiled "thats okay, Hon, lot's of movies make us sad."

Ororo nodded sensing their was more, but she didn't want to pry: "can I ask what the movie was?"

Annaleigh didn't answer instead she interlaced her ivory fingers with Ororo's long dainty mocha fingers and made a face "Miss. Munroe?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't some people want us to be friends?"

"What do you mean? You mean me and you? Who does not want us to be friends? I want to be your friend?"

Annaleigh smiled "I do to, But, some people don't want us to be because we look different."

Jean closed her eyes she had a feeling where this was going "I am going to see what movie they are watching," as she quickly excused herself.

"Is this about our skin colours?" she watched Annaleigh look at their fingers.

The girl nodded "I don't see anything wrong with them but some people do."

Ororo shrugged "some people are afraid judge what they see instead of what they know."

"Thats not right."

"I know."

"Its sad."

"I know."

"Were there really two schools? And two kind of restaurants and stuff?"

"Even two hospitals. And, if you were the wrong colour you could be turned away even if you were dying."

Annaleigh sighed "but this was a long time ago, Right?"

Ororo sighed, she didn't both telling the little girl about her being called a...derogatory term just last week while she was on a mission, and took all her strength not to let it bother her until she got back to the mansion and up into the loft apartment, where she cried herself to sleep.

She also didn't tell the young student about the time that, Professor Xavier had a very prominent politician over for company he mistook her as the housekeeper.

"Its still...Prevalent in some cases, but their are many people today and back then--when there were the two hospitals and everything, that tried to make everything equal; and you have to admit, it has gotten a lot better."

Ororo told Annaleigh about historical figures: Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X.

How it would be illegal for couples of a different race to get together and would even be arrested.

Annaleigh's eyes went wide "you mean if you and Mr. Logan would get married back then you could go to Jail for loving someone different?"

Ororo nodded and wondered why the little girl used Logan, but didn't think it was relevant, and threw some entertainment knowledge in there since she knew that Annaleigh wanted to become an actress in the future: About Halle Berry being the first black actress to win an Oscar and pointed out that it took Hollywood a very long time for thinking that a black Actress was just as equally talented as some other actresses out there.

She talked about Dorothy Dandridge and smatterings of some others.

Annaleigh grinned "its cool that all those people helped, but its sad that they had to go through all of that, I'm sorry you did too." She frowned "Miss Munroe."

"Yes, Child?"

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course, Annaleigh."

"Okay you said how some people judge people because of what they see and not what they know, right?"

"Right."

"Its kind of like the mutant thing, right? How people see us as mutants nothing else. like we're below them for being different, right."

"Essentially." The African Goddess nodded and brushed the red bangs out of the little girl who was still sitting on her lap.

"You also said that it was illegal for people to love each other different back then. But now its bad to love someone the same as you, they can't get married either."

Ororo thought about how New York the bill to legalize Gay Marriage recently and sighed and nodded "some people don't think its a good idea."

"What do you think?"

"That there are no such things as subhuman or human, that 100% of us have dignity and we should be treated as such and the same."

"Me too."

"Good I'm glad."

"Miss Munroe?"

Ororo chuckled "Yes Annaleigh?"

"If some people hate people for being different and they don't understand someone like now and other people don't think that others should get married for whatever reason, What changed? Beside the year I mean. Maybe I'm just a kid, and I don't get it, really, but, it sounds like Mr. King Junior and Ms Parks would be sad that they did all of this stuff to get equal rights back then, but like 40 years later not everyone has equal rights still." She shrugged and played with her fingers.

Ororo sat and stared at the girl, she had no idea how to answer: "I guess you can say that some things come full circle," was the only thing that she could come up with after a good two minutes of silence.

Ororo knew that Annaleigh wasn't going to take that answer sitting down, but, she was surprised when the girl just shrugged "maybe somethings should stop before it goes around again."

"Maybe."

"I'm sorry for having this conversation with you and crying over a movie."

"You never have to apologize for stuff like that, Annaleigh, I'm glad I could help. I hoped I helped."

"You did." The little redheaded girl smiled "as usual. Can I go play now?"

"Of course."

Ororo was deep in thought as she watched the little girl go towards to music room, Storm thought about the conversation she had with Annaleigh just now and thought about the things that she had: said, witnessed and been through herself in terms of 'civil rights' as an African American woman and as a mutant and she shook her head, although she wasn't sure if it was out of pride or disgust.

Pride because they really have come so far.

Disgust because it really wasn't far enough.

She'd secretly always thank Annaleigh, for the reminder that being free and having the rights that they did have were a Right that everyone should have, and by hook or by crook she would continue fighting until those Rights and needs were met.


End file.
